The objective of SMYT is to provide education in the performing arts for young people of all abilities and in particular to foster in them an appreciation and enjoyment of theatre arts and drama. They are taught team work and dedication and acquire self-confidence and a sense of belonging. A large number of the group go on to Performing Arts colleges and theatre schools.

Monday, 21 April 2008

Past SMYT member Rachael Cairns will be appearing in Living's Britain's Next Top Model.Over a period of twelve episodes, the fourteen top models in the making will learn from a series of even more glamorous guest judges and contributors, including Jemima French and Sophie Conrad.From gorgeous yet grueling photo shoots with some of the industry’s most distinguished photographer, through to competitive casting calls with leading designers, the girls will flaunt their fashion appeal.Vying to be declared winner, only one girl will lay claim to the most coveted prize in the modelling market; a contract with world renowned agency Models 1, appear on the cover of women’s glossy magazine Company and win a contract with Max Factor.Everyone at SMYT wish Rachael luck in the competition.

There were forty five performers in the company, aged from seven to twenty. They are all members of the St Mary's Youth Theatre which produces musicals every year and has taken part in National Theatre Connections since 1995. For many of the performers it was their first production with St Mary's and for a number it was their first experience of taking leading roles. The company are led and supported by a dedicated team of adults who direct, design, choreograph, prop and light the shows.The administration of the company is excellent. This was the second performance of two.

VENUE

The venue was Green Lane School which is St Mary's temporary home. The play was staged in the school hall, end on, and held an audience of about one hundred. The venue was almost full to capacity.

CASTING

The company were given extracts of the play to audition from. The casting was incredibly well chosen. Special mention must go to Clem Abbott playing Tom. This part essentially carries the play and from the moment Clem flicked the torch on in the opening scene it was clear we were in safe hands. Clem was engaging, funny and able to convey the full range of the characters' emotional range. Importantly he kept the pace of the production moving forward at all times. He was well supported by the rest of the cast - the family unit of Tom, Luke (Ryan Bray) and Courtney (Katie Wilkinson) were particularly well cast together.

PROCESS

The company rehearsed three times a week after school from January through to performance. It was clear from discussion with the cast that the process was entirely collaborative. They workshopped many ideas at the beginning of the process, often in smaller groups, and this work was then shared with the whole group; the moments that worked were then selected for the production. The company said that this process made them feel a great sense of ownership. The company also had a very strong grasp of the themes and issues in the play. They had discussed these issues as they arose in rehearsals. In the after show discussion I found the group incredibly mature and impressive in their ability to express their thoughts and feelings about the play; it was obvious they had thought deeply about the issues the play raises.

STAGING

The staging was kept relatively simple and this allowed for clear, direct storytelling. For most of the performance the action was focused on the bench in the Tunstall Estate.The opportunity to involve the entire company was taken in the songs and set pieces such as the Marble Competition - these were smartly choreographed and made good use of the large numbers on stage. If groups worked together they were always following their own story - supporting the main action and not distracting.The movement between scenes was often particularly well choreographed - one transition that particularly established the convention for this was Courtney exiting backwards in her search for Tom whilst the hoodies from the Tunstall estate entered to the same beat. These transitions were smoothly worked and meant that the action was propelled forward.

TEXT

I felt the tone of the piece exactly matched the intentions of the playwright. There was no over elaboration; only what the text demanded. This allowed the story to flow at good pace. It also meant that where the play was meant to be funny, it genuinely was, and, where it was necessary to establish a more sombre tone, the company succeeded. A couple of changes were made to the script; Martin became Martine and we enjoyed brief impressions of Columbo and Dennis Waterman.In many ways the great challenge of this piece incorporating the character Luke, who is ever present, and yet, doesn't speak a great deal of text. This was managed by giving Luke the same access to directly address the audience, through eye contact, as Tom had. It allowed the audience to grow to understand this character at the same time as Tom did. It was a brave decision but one that the production and performer pulled off.

PERFORMANCE

The real merit of this production was the actors’ performances. The company were led impressively by Clem Abbott who imbued every line with a clear sense of meaning and had a warmth and openness in the direct address to welcome the audience into his world.All the actors possessed a focus and conviction to deliver the story. They were honest and direct; engaging and funny. They understood the story and its importance enough to know when to pull back from the comedy. By the end of the piece we felt as though we had been with Tom on his journey of discovery and the effect was genuinely moving.There is really only one small point. I think the decision to play Tight with a broad cockney accent led the actor towards exaggerated characterisation and movement. I would suggest playing Tight with only a suggested London accent or simply in the actor’s normal speaking voice.Overall, however, the performances were incredibly well judged. I think the performers possess a maturity beyond their years. They were incredibly supportive of each other and revealed in the discussion that followed the performance a deep engagement with the issues of the piece and an eloquence to express this.

DESIGN

The set was fairly simple; the school hall had black cloths hung in space to create a performance area. At the beginning various household objects had been placed about the space. Later a bench, framed by railings, was brought on to represent the Tunstall Estate. This simplicity allowed for swift transitions to be made. The lighting and costumes were kept similarly simple.The music for the piece had been composed, and was played on piano, by Yui Suzuki. Yui's composition was fantastic; whether in the songs - which adeptly incorporated the set lyrics - or the underscoring, the music always felt instep with the production.

AUDIENCE

The audience were diverse in age and the production was enthusiastically received. It was clear from the comments I overheard afterwards that the audience had been impressed by how the company had tackled difficult themes. The audience were clearly moved by the company's performance.

WHO ARE WE

St. Mary's Youth Theatre was formed in August 1993 by Steve Archdale who was concerned about the increasing problems of alcohol and drug abuse in the teenage community of Garforth. With so little for the youngsters to do, especially in the field of theatre arts and drama, the idea of creating a youth theatre seemed appropriate.

A cast of 60+ with ages ranging from 8 to 22 auditioned for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, all were successful, no one was turned away. The show was rehearsed and performed in 8 weeks to thunderous acclaim in a church hall converted into a Pharaoh's tomb by a local artist. The following week they returned eager to find out what they were doing next. What began as a one-off production became the start of many shows to come.

A disastrous fire in 1995 wrecked their headquarters, destroying costumes, props and sets. This could easily have been the end of SMYT but as a result they have pulled together and grown stronger gradually replacing their losses. As members of the Leeds Civic Arts Guild they perform at the new, Leeds Carriageworks theatre which is in the Millenium Square, mainly musicals (i.e., Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Fame, Children of Eden, etc.). The National Theatre Connections scheme gives the group the chance to perform new plays written by the very best writers. In 2002 they were fortunate to perform at the Royal National Theatre itself…what an experience! Their latest productions include Little Shop of Horrors, Honk, 17, Feather Boy,The Musicians,We Will Rock You, Rent, Our House, Les Miserables, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, The Passion, Our Cousin Flo, Scrooge, Peter Pan, Whistle Down The Wind and Annie.

SMYT are now based, rehearse and perform at Green Lane Academy and St Mary's Church, Garforth, Leeds and charge a yearly subscription fee of £40.